CHELSEA fans CAN buy tickets for the FA Cup semi-final and future Champions League games this season.
After two weeks of negotiations between the with the club and the Government, DCMS chiefs announced a series of amendments to the club’s operating licence.
It means that Blues fans will be entitled to buy seats for the club’s upcoming FA Cup and European matches.
They will also be allowed to travel to away matches, with visiting fans able to buy their tickets for the final four Prem games at Stamford Bridge against Arsenal, Wolves, Leicester and Watford.
But the strict condition is that not a single penny of the ticket revenue goes into the hands of Roman Abramovich.
And Chelsea remain banned from selling any more HOME match tickets for the upcoming Prem fixtures, meaning likely attendances of just over 30,000.
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Under the new conditions, the Government has ensured the “no additional revenue” is raised for Chelsea by the revised regulations.
Normally, under Prem rules, the home team banks all match ticket revenues.
The league confirmed last night that monies that ‘would normally have gone to Chelsea’, usually £90,000 in income from the maximum 3,000 away fans at Stamford Bridge for each game, will be donated to charity to benefit the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Likewise, money raised by Chelsea ticket sales for the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace, their Champions League last eight clash with Real Madrid and any future ties will go to the FA or Uefa respectively “to remain compliant” with the sanctions against Abramovich.
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There is, though, an exception for fans of Chelsea Women, who play most of their home matches at Kingstonians and who will be able to sell tickets for forthcoming Women’s Super League games.
Commenting on the decision, sports minister Nigel Hiddleston said: “I would like to thank fans for their patience while we have engaged with the football authorities to make this possible.
“Since Roman Abramovich was added to the UK’s sanctions list for his links to Vladimir Putin we have worked extensively to ensure the club can continue to play football while ensuring the sanctions regime continues to be enforced.”
A Premier League spokesperson said: “The revised licence allows fans to attend Chelsea FC games; Chelsea fans to travel to away Premier League fixtures and attend the FA Cup, Uefa Champions League and WSL games.
“The Premier League will receive and hold any revenue from the sale of these tickets that would normally have gone to Chelsea.
“Chelsea requested, and the Premier League agreed, that this revenue will be donated to charity to benefit victims of the war in Ukraine.
“The charities will be announced in due course.”
Chelsea next host local rivals Brentford in the Premier League on April 2.
Bidders for the West London club had until last Friday to submit their offers to the Raine Group overseeing the sale.
Prospective buyers currently face an anxious wait to see if they have made the final shortlist of buyers.
More than 20 bids are understood to have been lodged.
Among the frontrunners are believed to be the Ricketts family, Todd Boehly, Sir Martin Broughton and Nick Candy.